Potato digger and sacker.



No. 643,249. Patented Feb. I3, [900.

. w. KRETZER.

POTATO DlGGER AND SACKER.

(Application filed Jun 23, 1898.)

(No Model.)

y] I I rrnn STATES :ATENT @FFIQE.

l/VALTER KRETZER, OF BAKER CITY, OREGON.

I POTATO DIGGE R AND SACKER.

. SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 643,249, dated February 13, 1900.

Application filed June 23, 1898.

To (tZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER KRETZER, of Baker City, Baker county, Oregon, have invent-ed certain Improvements in Potato and Beet Diggers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to potato-harvesters in general, and more particularly to that class in which'the potatoes are dug from the hills, are then separated from the dirt which naturally adheres to' them, and are finally deposited in a hopper, from which they run into a sack.

One object of the invention is to provide a construction comprising a lister which is adjustably supported to enter the earth to different depths and which will act to raise the potatoes and pass them to a conveyer, upon which they will be moved to thehopper, and in which this moving operation will have the effect of removing the dirt.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for adjusting the elevation of the lister and of the lower end of the conveyer and for throwing the conveying mechanism into and out of operation.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which similar numerals of reference designate like and corresponding parts in both views, Figure 1 is a plan view of a potato digger and sacker constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a view of the potato digger and sacker, partially in side elevation and partially in section.

Referring now to the drawings, the present invention comprises a supporting-frame, ineluding rearwardly-converging sills 5 and 6, the forward ends of which are connected with an axle 7, having supporting-wheels 8 mounted thereon. One of these supporting-wheels has a gear-Wheel 9 fixed thereto, which is adapted for engagement at times by a shiftable gear-wheel 10, mounted upon a collar 11, which is splined upon the shaft 12, supported in bearings 13 upon the axle. Thus when this wheel 10 isengaged with the wheel 9 the shaft 12 will be rotated, the motion of this shaft 12 being conveyed through the medium of a sprocket 14 and chain 15 to the elevating mechanism, as hereinafter described.

Upon the rear ends of the sills 5 and 6 is fixed a platform 16, this rear portion of the Serial No. 684,327. (No model.)

frame having a supporting caster-wheel 17 of usual construction.

Upon the platform 16 are arranged uprights 18, which support ahopper 19, which is formed of slats, as shown, and the central opening 20 of said hopper being adapted to discharge to a bag 21, supported by a suitable bag-holder 22 beneath the hopper.

In order to transfer the potatoes from the hills to the hopper, there are provided a lister and a conveyer, the lister 23 being substantially triangular in plan and having its rear end elevated, this lister being supported from a clevis -bar 24 through the medium of a hanger 25, secured to the rear end of the clevis bar and the lifter. This hanger is braced by-means of a brace-bar 26. In order io adjust the lister vertically for operation under different conditions, a lever 27 is pivoted to a hanger 28, which is suspended from the axle 7, one end of this lever being connected with the clevis-bar 24 pivotally, the opposite end of the lever 27 having a handlever 29 pivoted thereto, said hand-lever being fulcrumed to the tongue 30 of the harvester. In order to hold this hand-lever 29 at different points of its movement, a notched segment 31 is fixed to the tongue and is adapted for engagement by a pawl 32, carried by the hand-lever. In order to lift the potatoes from the lister to the hopper, a conveyer is provided, and thisconveyer comprises a plurality of parallel slats 35, separated by interspaces 36, and which slats are suitably connected by means of transverse braces. The lower ends of these slats are curved downwardly in the rear of the lister, while the upper ends are curved to lie above the hopper, the potatoes from the lister being adapted to pass to these slats over rearwardly-extending bars 37, attached to the lister and passing at their rear ends between the slats.

In order to move the potatoes upwardly of the slats, shafts and 41 are journaled in the sides 42 of the elevator at the upper and lower ends thereof, and upon these shafts are mounted sprockets 44 and 43, with which are engaged chains 45 and 46, provided with crossslats 47. These slats 47 have fingers 48, disposed in pairs,which are adapted to project upwardly through the inter-spaces 36 and above the upper surfaces of the slats, the fingers of each pair passing at opposite sides of the bars 37 in their respective interspaces of the conveyer. Thus after the lister has been properly adjusted if the harvester is moved along the potato-hill the lister will engage the potatoes and raise them to the bars or fingers 37, from which they will pass to the slats 35, and they will be then engaged by the fingers 4:8 and raised and discharged over the upper ends of the slats and into the hopper, from which they will pass to the sacks therebelow.

It is of course essential that the lower end of the elevator be adjusted wit-h the lister,

' and for this purpose a rod 50 is pivoted at its ends to the sides of the conveyer-frame, said rod being passed through an eye 51 upon the rear end of a clevis-bar 24.

It will of course be understood that the draft-animals are hitched with the doubletree to the clevis 52 at the forward end of'the clevis-bar in order that the draft will be directly upon the lister.

It will be further understood that various modifications may be made in the structure shown and that any desired proportions and materials may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is 1. A potato-harvester comprising a frame having supporting-wheels, a hopper mounted upon the frame, a conveyer adapted to discharge to the hopper, a rock-lever pivoted to the frame, a clevis-bar pivoted to the lever, a link pivoted to the clevis-bar and to the conveyer,a lister fixed to the clevis-bar and adapted to discharge to the conveyer, and means for rocking the lever to simultaneously adjust the lister and the conveyer.

2. A potato-harvester comprising a frame, a conveyer mounted upon the frame, a hopper adapted to receive from the conveyer, said conveyer comprising a plurality of slats separated by interspaces, a lister adapted to discharge to the conveyer and comprising bars passing between the slats of the conveyer, and conveyer-chains located below the slats, said chains having cross-slats fixed thereto provided with fingers arranged in pairs and adapted to project between and above the slats of the conveyer and upon opposite sides of the bars in their respective interspaces.

3. In a potato-harvester, a conveyer comprising a plurality of spaced slats, a lister adapted to discharge to the conveyer and comprising bars entering the spaces between the slats, and fingers projecting in pairs upwardly between and above the slats and adapted for movement longitudinally thereof upon opposite sides of the bars in their respective spaces between the slats.

WALTER KRETZER.

Witnesses:

F. 0. KRETZER, A. L. DILLSON. 

